The Threads of Chaos
by Sammicakes
Summary: Chloe is a sweet girl,with a tendency to curse.One day,when she meets a boy,strange things start to happen.An unseen world is brought into focus,and an infamous prophecy is rediscovered.The Threads of Chaos have been sewn,so can they unravel them? AU
1. Prologue

A/N: Okay, I know what you guys are thinking. "Doesn't she already have, like, three DP stories already?" The answer is yes. Yes, I do. The only reason I'm doing this, is because I need to bounce idea's off of this, because this is already a story that I am working on. I will just rearrange the story for DP standards, while I gain and glean information from this.

Just note that I will take A LOT longer to update this story in particular, than any other of my stories!

**ALSO: I know this is a strange beginning, but the rest of the story will totally back this up! I swear, it's not just there for my personal enjoyment! XD**

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><p>Prologue<p>

The streets were quiet, and the marketplace was buzzing with activity. The shopkeepers were displaying their wares, smiling when the people looked at them. It was a normal day.

Nobody expected the rheumy-eyed old woman to make a fuss. She was walking absently down one of the busier streets, when all the sudden, she just stopped mid-step.

No one really noticed, or cared, and they continued with their business after a quick glance at the old woman. If any of them had paid attention, very close attention, to her, they would have noticed the swirling of magic that cloyed the air around her. They might have even been able to save her.

Then, her head snapped up, and a wail escaped her. She stood frozen there, for a minuet or two. Her head turned up to the sky, and her hands rose as if to ward off an attacker.

"I see it! I see it!" cried the old woman. "No! No! Not the baby! The King! The Queen! No!" she screamed.

Soon enough, a crowd had gathered around her, and she stumbled blindly down the street. She was sobbing, and talking at the same time, and the rest of the words she screamed were too ruined to hear them.

One of the passer-byers saw her and recognized her as Lady Saren. He ran over to help her to her feet, because she had stumbled and fallen. The poor woman was nearly on the brink of madness, because she never developed her powers. The disability was rare, and killed almost all who were afflicted with it.

He didn't notice the magic either. He was a Healer, and he should have, but he didn't. All he suspected was a fit of madness, it was almost appropriate that she should have one, really. It was wonderful that had even survived this long, after all.

When he reached her, though, he saw that something was very wrong with her. Her eyes were a-glow, and she wasn't moving, except for her mouth, as she was speaking in tongues. She froze again, completely, and her whole body went stiff with tension.

Then, all her muscles loosened at once, and she flowed like butter out of the man's arms. She almost fell to the floor, but she stopped herself halfway down, halting her progress. It looked almost like she was frozen mid-fall, which she really was. It was the most bizarre sight any of the people had seen in a while.

Then, all the sudden, she stood up, and bellowed out, "Someone fetch me a Scribe!" Her voice had changed, in a most disturbing manner. No longer was it high and reedy, now it was low toned, and she spoke with several voices. Some were male, some female, all with power and authority.

A frightened looking young man ran off, and went looking for a Scribe. They should be abundant on the streets, for today was the day before the Queen gave birth. Scribes would be all around, to try and take advantage of those who cannot write, so that the poor could send good will cards to the Queen.

The man, Philip, backed away slowly. This wasn't a fit of madness. This was the Vision of a Seeress, and she hadn't been speaking in tongues. The language of the Magi was old and unused, dead, except for the likes of Seeress' and Prophetess', and that was undoubtedly it.

Lady Saren was suddenly pulled into the air, her hair stood up, and it looked as it she was floating in water. Her head rolled back, and her voices wailed. She writhed, and squirmed, gasping, and panting. The voices within her competed with each other. Once and a while, her normal voice broke though the other voices, to let it be known. Mostly, though, her Magic tongue was foremost.

Legs stumbling, the young man came back, and with him, there was a Scribe. Lady Saren's head snapped forward and she cocked it to the side in an oddly bird-like motion. She pointed to the Scribe and spoke.

"Scribe, I see you. Now, know this. This piece of information is the key to the future. If you fail, the Lands will perish."

An even bigger crowd had gathered around them now. Almost the entire street. The Scribe was trembling, and he held his charcoal and parchment at the ready. Philip could already see lines of tension forming in his body. The stress was already setting in on him.

"I cannot wait any longer," it was true. Nobody had noticed it before, but she was gasping, and sweat was beading on her forehead. The strain was obvious, and it must have required much effort on her part to keep the Vision inside.

"Soon, the beloved King and Queen shall be overthrown, and killed. The Unnamed will have struck, and almost all the Plane's shall be overcome.

"But. There is something that can save us. Long ago, this message was also revealed. The Five Magi heard, and created special items. No one knows now where they lie. And so, The Rings of the Universe were created, and the Chosen must find them.

"All Seven Lands will be in danger, and The Rings of the Universe are all that can stop it. Nobody is sure what powers lay within the Rings, only that those who Wield them will be granted the power of the very Earth and Stars.

"Now, I relay to you a message from Beyond!" And with that, the entire street fell silent; all eyes were on Lady Saren. She was a Seeress and a Prophetess, the two rarest of magics. This is bad, thought Philip.

That was when Philip finally noticed the magic that hung heavy in the air around Lady Saren. It's too late now, thought Philip, we cannot save her.

Her voice dropped low, and it was dead, totally void of all emotion.

"Four shall step forward

Each from a Plane

Each Wielding a band

Of elemental base.

One from a place torn

One from The Heart

One from the burb

And one from wing'd snow.

Together the shall come

To defeat the Unnamed

The monstrosity shall be their greatest ally

and choose their death and life.

So, come one, come all

to watch the battle unfold.

The true victor lies within the mind."

And after the last sentence was uttered, Lady Saren collapsed onto the ground, limp and unmoving.

Talk immediately erupted behind Philip. They were words of shock and wonder,

Philip ran towards her, waving away the crowd. He laid his fingers to her wrist. It was just as he had feared. "The Lady Saren, Seeress and Prophetess, is dead."

All of her powers had concentrated up until this one moment, just to deliver this message. It must have been a great task, and one that she was totally unaware of. She had no idea she was going to die, Philip though sadly.

Philip then turned to the Scribe, who was shaking like a leaf. He was still scribbling down the rest of the information, and Philip waited until he was finished to talk.

"Did you get all of her message?" Philip asked.

"Y-yes, I did."

Philip's face turned grave. "Then relay this information to the King and Queen immediately."

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><p>AN: Did you like it? :3 I already know YOU know what it is, Seddie, my dear. (Lol, I don't want to put your name on the intranetz unless you say it's okkay! X3)

REVIEWWWW!

~Sammi :D


	2. Chapter 1

A/N: Thank you to those that gave me a review, and still thank you, if you read the story!

**murry-2012**: Thanks, sweetie! Lol, what's the 2012 in your name for? O.O Is it standing for the end of the world? Or is it saying that you tooootally don't believe in that? I have no clue, really...I just kinda wanted to guess...can you tell me...? I wannnnaaaaa knooooowwww! XD

**SweetDreamzz3116**: Thank you very much, indeed! :3 I love it when people say that! :D Hahaha, Did I ever mention that i LOOOVE your username? WELL I DOOOO! :D XD Lol...it's just so...awesome! :D O.O I am totally nicknaming you Sweetie, now. Unless you don't want me to...then I won't... XD

**SeddieBangelWarriors4eva**: HOLY SHIT YOUR NAME IS SOOOOO LONGGGG! lol, anyways, I shall now call you Adriana! hehhehheh, I'll probably give you a nickname, too, as I do with all my other friends. lol, my friend Kameelah HATES nicknames, and I call her Kami, and if anyone else calls her that she will slap them. XD She's ammmaaazing! Lol...now I have to think of oneeee! *evil smiley here*

-.-' I ramble soooooo much...

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><p><strong>Chapter One<strong>

Chloe despised math. It was torture. Almost none of it made any sense, and when it did make sense, she struggled with how to make the formulas and how to plug the numbers into said formulas.

She stared upwards, dejectedly, at the ceiling. Her pencil made a steady thumping noise as she patted it against her homework. Right now, her mind was elsewhere, wondering what would happen in her book.

A sharp rap at her door made her focus, as she called, "Come in!"

Her father walked into the room, a hard expression on her face. "How many times do I have to tell you to clean this room, Chloe?"

Then he seemed to notice that what Chloe was doing, and his face softened. "Sweetie, do you need any help?"

She sighed and shook her head. "I'll be fine. This is just review stuff. Shouldn't be too hard."

Her dad leaned on the doorframe, and sighed. "Chloe, Mrs. Melvin and I have been talking. We think a tutor would be best for you. Are you up to that?"

Chloe gazed at her dad questioningly. "What kind of tutor?" she asked hesitantly. "Like, a peer tutor, or a personal one?"

"She thought it would be best if we gave you a peer tutor, but if you don't want that, we can hire a personal tutor. They would definitely be able to help you with math. Give it some thought, and I'll be right here when you make your decision."

Then her dad turned around and left, but not before giving Chloe a knowing glance. Chloe just stared at the wall.

_Do I really want a tutor? What if I get someone who hates me? But...I bet it really would help_, she thought.

She grumbled something unintelligibly, and looked down at her math, again. It glared mockingly at her. The numbers seemed to dance, and leap, swirl, and tumble. She couldn't keep track of them all. Chloe slammed her book shut and walked over to her bed.

Slowly, she lay down, and closed her eyes. Her hand groped for her book on her bedside table. Once she found it, she brought it over and rested it on her chest, without opening her eyes.

It was a game she played she always guessed what would happen next, whether it be dialogue, a scene, or a sentence. If she got it right, then she got to read an extra chapter.

She only read a chapter every time she sat down. Unless she guessed right, of course. She opened her book, and was about to start reading when her door opened again.

She sighed, and set the book down on her stomach, and glanced up to met her visitor. It was only Jesse, dressed only in his little sports shirt.

"Chloe, I need help with something."

She smiled and sat up. "What do you need Jesse? Are you having problems with your homework, again?"

He nodded his head, his big eyes locked on his older sister. "I don't understand something."

Chloe stood up, and walked over to him. His little pudgy hand grasping for hers when she stood close to him. He led her to his room, where he had papers strewn about his bed.

Who honestly gives first graders this much homework? she thought.

"What do you need help with, little man?"

He let go of her hand, and went to pick up some sheets, bringing them to her. She took the papers, and went to go sit down on his chair. She glanced at the first one in her hand, and saw that it was math. Simple addition. She could help with that.

She pointed to the first question. "Okay, what does this number say?" she asked, showing him a two.

He thought about it for a moment, and then his face lit up. "It's number two!" he said excitedly.

"Good, now show me how many fingers that is." He held up three fingers, and looked triumphant. She tucked one of them down, and he gazed down at his fingers in wonder, then nodded his head. "Yeah, I always get three and two mixed up," he pouted.

"Don't worry. Hey, I'll even tell you a secret."

He leaned in closer. "What, what, what?" he asked excitedly.

She leaned in close to him. "I had the same problem you did, when I was your age."

"Really?" he asked. "I thought you were the smartest girl in the world!" He gazed at her with adoring eyes.

"Oh no, silly, everyone makes mistakes." Chloe smiled at him, then pointed to the next number. "Okay, now what's this number?"

He looked back down at the paper, and he squinted his eyes. "It's number four, right?"

"Good!" she exclaimed. "Now, hold up four fingers for me."

He held up four fingers, and she smiled at him. "Okay, now add two fingers for me, and then count!"

Slowly, he counted his fingers, and with a delighted smile, he declared that the answer was six.

"Great job! See, this isn't so bad! You do one all by yourself, now!"

He ripped the paper from her hands, and looked at the next question eagerly. After about five minuets, he answered her. "I think the answer is eight!"

"What are the numbers?" she asked.

"Five and three. That makes eight, right?" The worry was clearly intoned in his voice.

"Perfect! Now, if you do all of those problems right, I'll take you to the ice cream store!"

His eyes widened theatrically, and he glared down at the first question, as if he thought his gaze alone would solve it. Then, he furiously started to count on his fingers. She smiled at him, and left to read some more of her book, or do whatever seemed pressing.

_Like your math?_ mocked her conscious. _Shut up! What do you know?_ she asked belligerently. _More than enough to know that you need a tutor._

Well, even if her conscious was annoying, it was definitely telling the truth.

Chloe wandered around the halls, not doing anything in particular, for a couple minutes before heading back in to her own room.

She entered her room, and glared at the remaining homework on her desk. She could do it tomorrow, and probably not get in any trouble, she reasoned.

She took out her laptop, and started to surf the web, not really looking or doing anything of importance.

She heaved the computer off her, and set it beside her bed.

She laid down, and just as she was about to grab her book Jesse came busting into the room. Chloe glanced at him in an approaching way.

"Did you double check it? If you get any wrong, we don't go! Even if your only one number off. Do a quick check."

He grumbled, but proceeded to check his work, slowly counting, then recounting, his fingers. He ran back to his room to grab a pencil, and erased some of his answers.

Finally, with a grim expression on his face, he gave the paper to her. She did a glance over, and saw that they were all right. She raised her eyebrows in surprise, and then glanced at her baby brother. She gave him a sorrowful look, and he looked like he was going to cry.

"Look here," she said pointing at the paper. He leaned over to the problem that she pointed to. "You got it right!" It took a moment for those words to sink in, and when they did, he started to leap around the room.

"Ice cream, ice cream, I get ice cream!" he sang.

"That's right! You can pick whatever flavor you want! And, you can have two toppings. Come on, we'll go tell dad the good news!"

Happily, he followed her, and they ventured downstairs, trying to find their father. He was in the kitchen cooking dinner. He looked up in surprise at their entrance, then his eyes turned wondering when she saw Jesse's vibrating form.

"Hey dad, guess who the new genius in our family is?"

Jesse could barely contain his excitement. But dad played dumb with us. "Hm, could it be Caramel?" he asked, naming one of their dogs.

"No!" Jesse burst out.

"Huh, what about Jenny? Is she the new genius? Oh, wait I know! It's obviously me! Right?"

He giggled. "Daddy! It's me! I'm super smart! Chloe is going to take me out to get ice cream, too!"

"I was thinking we could go tonight? What do you think? Is that okay?"

Jesse was bouncing with excitement, and looked like he was about to explode. Their dad sighed, and an air of wisdom seemed to grow around her father. "Take your cell phone, your coats, and make absolutely sure that you don't go anywhere else but the shop. Come straight back when your done, and don't dally."

"Of course, dad. We'll be sure to do that. Jeez, you need to stop being so momish, it's strange!" She said, jokingly. "So what's for dinner? It smells delicious in here."

"I'm making some beef stroganoff. Would you like some? I was just about to call you down, anyways."

"Yummy! Give me ten scoops!" Jesse said.

"How about we start with two ladleful's first?" Dad said.

"Fine," he grumbled.

"I'll have three ladlefuls, please," Chloe said.

Soon they were all gathered at the dinner table, eating and telling stories, and horrors that had greeted them that day. All too soon, the wonderful meal was over, and Jesse was insisting on going straight to the ice cream shop, right then, and there.

"Let me put on my coat first, silly! Then we can go!" she said to Jesse, as he was pulling her along.

She grabbed her coat, and her trusty cell phone, and her wallet. After finally forcing Jesse to calm down a little, they left.

The streets were quiet, and she could hear almost nothing, it was kind of creepy, and gave her the chills. The ice cream shop was only a couple of blocks from their house, though. She sped up, perturbed by the silent streets, forcing Jesse to run in order to keep up with her.

They rounded the corner, and saw the bright cheery lights of the ice cream store. Slow jazz came from the speakers, eliminating most of the silence. Gratefully, she walked to the front doors to push them in. Jesse let go of her hand, and ran inside, looking at the different flavors of ice cream, sorbet, and custard.

Chloe walked in more calmly, taking in her surroundings. Almost none of the chairs were filled, but the ones that were, had teenage boys around her age sitting in them.

She turned her attention back to where Jesse was trying to pick out a flavor. She walked up to him, her steps slow, and meaningful.

"So what are you concentrating so hard on?"

"I'm trying to figure out if I should have mint chocolate chip, or vanilla! Chloe, can I get both?"

"Sure, you can. But, I'm getting you a small cup. Your dinner was huge."

He shrugged, and went to go look at the toppings.

She decided to leave him be, and to choose her own flavor. Hm, some chocolate chip cookie dough sounds nice, she thought. Jesse came walking back to her, and grabbed for her hand again. "You know what you want, Jesse?"

"Yeah! I'm gonna have some mint chocolate chip and vanilla ice cream and gummy bears and rainbow sprinkles on top. What are you gonna have?"

"I'm going to have chocolate chip cookie dough." He stuck his tongue out at her.

"That was my third choice! Can I have a bite? Please?"

She was about to say no, but the sight of his little begging eyes made her say yes. She sighed. "Fine, but only a little bite."

"Yay!" he cheered.

She ordered their ice cream treats, and hoisted Jesse up onto her shoulders so he could see how they prepared the ice cream. It had always been his favorite part, ever since he had first seen it.

Soon the person behind the counter handed them their ice cream, and they headed over to a table to eat. As soon as she sat down, one of the boys approached her.

His stride seemed to tell Chloe that he was one of those boys that thought they were all that. He sauntered up to the table, and walked right up to her.

She looked up at him, and took in his appearance. He had bright green eyes, and lanky black hair that looked dyed and hung in his face. His face was narrow, and he had a mouth that looked like it was accustomed to grimacing. As of now, he had a sardonic tilt of the lips, and an expression that looked like trouble. And, he looked strangely familiar.

He stood over her, and squatted down, to be level with her face. He had a nasty glint in his eyes, and he smiled at her.

"So, what's your name?"

Chloe glanced at him questioningly, and her eyes flickered pointedly at her little brother. She smiled sweetly, hiding her disgust.

"S-sorry, but I don't re-really know you," she said in a saccharine tone. _Damn stutter_, she thought.

He smiled at her meanly for a second. "Your name's usually the first thing you give in a friendly conversation."

"W-well, maybe I don't want to t-talk to you. Did you ever think of that p-possibility?"

"Really? Is that so? Not very friendly are you?"

She wrinkled her nose. "I'm perfectly n-nice to people who I actually l-like." She looked at him up and down. "And to people who d-don't look like they just crawled out of a g-gutter. And s-smell like it, too."

His gaze seemed to ask her to cooperate, and his eyes flickered over to his friends. She ignored him, and started to get up. She went over to Jesse who was staring questioningly at the boy. "C'mon Jesse, we can eat our ice cream on the way home."

He nodded obligingly, and got up, his frozen treat in his hand. She turned around, and saw that the boy had stood up, and was glaring off into space. She grabbed her ice cream, and was about to leave, when all the sudden he latched onto her wrist.

Startled, he dropped her ice cream onto the table, and looked up at him. His face was scary. All the masculine beauty was gone, and what replaced it was hard, cold anger. That was when Chloe really took in him. He was tall. Absurdly tall, really. She flinched a little, but all he did was yank her wrist up, and drop a piece of paper into her hand. He closed her hand into a fist, and dropped her arm, walking away.

She turned around to see if one of the people running the store had seen what just happened. If they had they were ignoring it, but if they didn't then they must not pay very close attention to their customers.

She heard one of the other boys snigger, and when she looked over to their table, she saw that they were all staring at her, scary snarls on their faces. However, her boy had a pleading look in his eyes that was almost scarier than the snarls on his companions' faces.

Chloe was shaking now. Terror leached its way out of her mind, and slowly seeped into her bones, rattling them in fear. She grabbed her ice cream, and fled the building, Jesse clamped like a leach to her hand.

After walking for a little while, he let go of her hand and started to eat his ice cream again, all the while right beside her. All she could think about was that boy! What was wrong with him? Did he mean to scare her, or did his "plan" to woo her go all wrong? Who was he?

Her ice cream forgotten, her hand clamped on the little sheet of paper in his hand. What was on it? His name? His number? Should she even look at it?

Her eyes flickered to her hand, and at the corner of the paper that was in her sweaty palm. It was regular white college ruled paper. So what made her so nervous when she looked at it? Surely, something not to bad could be written in its blue lines.

Chloe knew she should throw it away, but she at least needed to know what was written on it. She put her hand back to her side, and kept walking, afraid that if she read it now, she would have a panic attack.

Then she remembered she had some ice cream left. She considered eating it, but her stomach turned at the thought. At the next trashcan, she threw it away, wiping her cold, wet hand on her jacket.

They were almost home, and she breathed a sigh of relief. She ushered Jesse to run home, and finish his ice cream. "I'll only be a couple of seconds. Promise," she said smiling softly at him. After a few more reassurances, he pranced indoors.

She took out the note, and breathed in deeply.

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><p>AN: If you liked it, revieeewwww!

_**IMPORTANT NOTE:**_

**This is an alternate universe, and I am MAJORLY changing somethings. Like her dad, for instance. He is loving and caring in this version. You'll see some of the other MAAAJJOORRRR changes as the story progresses. I just wanted to let you know this now! :D**

~Sammi :D


	3. Chapter 2

A/N: Heyyyy! lol, I;m sorry, but the time of everyday updates is over...I still ahve to write the next chapters...

**SHOUT-OUTS!**

**Seddie**: I'm too damn lazy to write your full penname. Lol...I'm still thinking of te ultimate nickname... Lol, Are you kidding me? Their practcally identical at this point! XP lol, you never really did tell me your full thoughts on the original... XD TELLL MEEEE! XD

**Sweetie**: I TOOOOLLD YOU I was gonna call you this nowwww! SweetDreamzz3116 is now Sweetie to me. :D XD I'm writing more! No need to worry about that one! XD

**murry-2012**: O.O Awwww mannn! I have to wait QUITE a few more years till I graduate. XP Lol THANNKKSSS! :D

**AbandonAllShipsLover**: Teehee! I AM updating now! :D

**hawiiangirl**: XD *insert evil smiley here* XD Here you gooooo! :D

**Ginne-Belle**: Here you gooooo! :D

**Hey, I usually hate self promotion, but If you guys are impatient for the next update, you should go read my other DP stories...I update them more frequently, too... Lol, "The Haunting" starts off pretty slow, I know, but if you give it a chance, I'm (hoping) that you will like them! :3**

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><p><strong>Chapter Two<strong>

Her hands shook so hard and fast, it looked like her they were vibrating. Slowly, she unclenched her fist and she stared, again, at the damp piece of paper in her hand.

The seemingly unoffending piece of paper in her hand shook with her, and she really didn't want to unfold it. In fact, all of here better judgment was screaming for her to just throw it away.

But, she just had to know what was inside. It went against everything she had always known. Often in movies when a female protagonist did what she was doing, she would get mad at her. Now she knew what the temptation felt like, and she couldn't hold back any longer.

Slowly she unfolded the paper, and what she saw inside made her gasp in surprise. What looked like runes, or ancient languages long forgotten greeted her.

She leaned in closer for a better look, when she smelled a thick cloying scent that wrapped around the paper like a bad perfume.

What happened next she would never forget.

The runes, or whatever they were, started glowing, and the paper started to get hot. A sudden flash of burning pain raced across her body, and gathered at her back. She fell to her knees, and vomited on the sidewalk.

Once her stomach stopped contorting, she slowly stood up. No damage had seemed to be done, even though her back was still a little tender.

She was scared right down to the very marrow of her bones, and her brain was screaming at her to leave the note alone, and everything else in her body screamed to find it.

She ended up looking for the paper, which she had dropped in her sudden bought of nausea. The gleam of white paper was over in the corner, near a tree and a gutter and she went to retrieve it.

It had blown over almost into the gutter, and was a little wet. She gingerly picked it up with two fingers and shook off the excess water. She opened it slowly and carefully, not wanting the sewer water to touch her in any way.

However, when she re-unfolded the note, the strange runes weren't there anymore. Instead there was smudged lettering that said, "call me. ASAP. I can explain."

_He can explain my ass!_ she thought. Below the crude little note, she saw a phone number. She snorted, and walked into her house.

She was still shaking from fear, but the cockiness of the new note helped return her to reality.

Then what happened to her really started to sink in. Was she crazy? What was that? Did she imagine everything that had just happened? Or, had the world suddenly turned upside down, and that really happened?

His crude note could mean one of two things. One, that he could explain what that whole episode in the ice cream shop was about. Or, he was going to explain what was with the runes. Or really, three, because he could try to explain both.

She shuddered at the thought, and started to head inside.

Once she was inside, she went to the nearest trashcan and threw the stupid note away. As she was twisting, her back twinged, and she was reminded of her...incident, for lack of a better term.

She went up to her room, and changed into her pj's. When her back sent a white-hot stab of pain to her brain, she decided it was time to look and see what was wrong with her back.

She ventured into the bathroom, closed the door, and lifted her shirt, causing another jolt. She turned around, and she screamed.

In the middle of her back there was a tattoo. It was a wolfs paw, which was surrounded by what looked like a stylized picture of a wolfs head.

All the sudden she heard a frantic knocking at the door.

"Chloe! Chloe! What's wrong? Are you okay? Are you hurt? What happened?"

At the sound of her father's voice, her mind went into overdrive, trying to think of an excuse.

"I, uh, I saw a giant spider in the bathtub. It, uh, frightened me, so I, um, killed it and flushed it down the toilet. Nothing much! Sorry I scared you!"

"Chloe Jamie Saunders! If you ever do that again, I will ground you! Don't ever scare me like that again!"

"Sorry, dad."

When she heard her mom walk away, she slumped to the ground in relief. She raised her hands to her face, and noticed that they were shaking.

Then Chloe bolted upright. How was she supposed to hide that-that thing on her back?

It was so glaringly obvious that it was there! It was effing blue, for god's sake! No matter how she arranged the nightshirt on her back, nothing hid the horrible blue tattoo.

She walked over to the door, and got on her hands and knees, looking to see if anyone was in the hall. When she was sure there was nobody in the hall, she cautiously opened the door, and she waited for a little bit longer. Then, when the coast was clear, she bolted to her room.

She panted a little, and for some reason she felt adrenaline humming through her veins. She slid to the floor in defeat, and then she remembered the strange note.

She leaped up, and was about to open the door, when she realized that the whole world could see the mark on her back. Quickly, she rummaged through a pile, and found a long, black t-shirt. She shrugged the nice pj top off, and slid the black two-sizes-too-big t-shirt.

She ran to the bathroom again, and when she saw that the mark was appropriately covered she walked back out the door.

She walked slowly down the stairs, not wanting anyone to catch on. She snorted, as if anyone knew what was happening. But still, she didn't want to let on that there was a problem.

She walked into the kitchen, and slowly went to the trashcan. She looked up, just in case someone had sneaked into the kitchen after her. There was no one in sight, so she opened the lid, and started to rummage around for the note.

Lucky for her, no one had suddenly needed to throw two pounds of food away, because her note was right under a plastic wrapper. The piece of paper was still damp, and slightly tacky.

She put the lid back where it belonged, and silently slipped back upstairs. Or, well, not so silently.

"Chloe what do you think your doing, sneaking around the house. What are you hiding?"

The question had more of a comment tone about it. He brain jumped around for an excuse, but she could find none.

"Uh-huh. What's in your hand? Give it to me."

She couldn't just hand over her one means of an answer. Then she had the best idea.

"Oh, it's just this boy's number. I met him at the ice cream store. Apparently, he's a real math-whiz. I just thought it would be a good idea to enlist his help. Here, you can even read the note," she said as she handed over the paper.

Her dad looked at her skeptically, and she grabbed the note out of Chloe's outstretched hand. He unfolded the note, and quickly skimmed over the little passage.

He looked back at Chloe, and slowly handed the note back to her. She still looked like she ate a lemon, but Chloe had passed the test, and her father let her pass, after only saying a few words.

"Props for getting a potential tutor, but don't skulk around anymore, got it?"

Chloe nodded absently, and once she got back to her room she proceeded to collapse on her bed. Adrenaline was still thumping in her veins, but this time for a good reason.

She unfolded the note, got her cell phone out, and added him as "Damien" in her contacts list.

She sent him a message saying only: _w.t.f._

She hoped he got the point, and when she lay down on her bed and covered her face with her hands, she wanted to start crying.

So many strange and disturbing things had happened too close together. Her day had started fine, she had breakfast, had an entertaining day at school with her friends, gotten home, struggled with math, and helped Jesse with his math. Today had been awesome.

Then she got creepy messages, strange, random tattoos, and creepy boys talking and staring at her all in the same day. It was too mush to handle, and she didn't know how to deal with it.

Then her phone vibrated on her stomach, and she leapt to see who it was. Sure enough, her new favorite person had answered.

_damn. Is this that hawt chick from the ice cream store. If so, helllooooo._

Just looking at that message made her want to throw her phone at the wall. God, he is just so...nasty. Disgusted, she typed back a short, terse reply.

_yeah, sure. Now tell me what the hell just happened._

Her fingers were itching to type back a more vulgar message, but she resisted the urge, and just clicked "send".

A few minuets later, she had her reply.

_one sec. im with my buds._

She furiously started to reply, then thought better of it. Obviously he was an ass, so if he wanted to talk to her, then he would have to start the conversation.

Oh how badly she wanted to think that. In reality, she really wanted to pester him until he was forced, out of his annoyance, to answer her. She would drive him insane if she could. However, she knew that if she really did that, then he wouldn't respond to her at all.

Chloe grabbed her book off of the nightstand, and played the Guessing Game. She started reading, and right when she got to the good part, her phone started vibrating.

She groaned I frustration, and contemplated ignoring her phone. It seemed like a good idea, but she would never be able to focus on her book if she went through with her plan. She at least had to know who it was.

She rolled over to glance at her phone, and much to her delight, or dismay, however you want to look at it, it was Damien. She groaned, and snapped open the flip-top, and opened the message.

_damn, im so sorry that this happened to you._

Her eyes widened in surprise. Well. This certainly wasn't what she was expecting. She thought maybe another "hey babe" line was coming her way. But, she definitely wasn't expecting this.

_Well, thanks for the apology, I guess._

Chloe sent the message, and almost right after she got another one from him.

_damn. It's just that my friends are bad people, and if I hadn't done something, one of them would have done it. I needed to put on my cocky face, and im sorry._

Wow, this guy might not be so bad after all. He seemed nice enough, and his intentions seemed...okay. He might not have gone about that in a good way, but better him than one of his cronies, friends, gang-bangers, whatever.

She sat back up, and almost forgot about the book that was so carefully put on her bed stand. Her eyes seemed to be glued to the screen of her cell phone, almost mesmerized.

Soon enough, she got her reply.

_god i really am sorry, though. hey, i never really did catch your name. mines derek._

She thought about what to say to him, deciding that the effing tattoo on her back was a smidgen more important that her name at the moment.

_you can have my name when your done explaining wth just happened._

She sent the message, hoping that he understood her frustration. Almost immediately, she got her reply.

_oh, yeah. that._

She growled a little, just a little, because of his terse reply.

_yeah. that. can i have an explanation?_

She carefully laid her cell phone on her bed, and crossed her arms waiting for a reply. She was still waiting seven minuets later, and when he still didn't answer her, she wanted to throw her phone against the wall in anger.

She picked up her book, and finished her chapter, and he _still_ hadn't answered her. She got up to go to the bathroom, when her phone buzzed again.

This better be good, she thought. She went over to pick up her phone, and checked the name. Yeah, it was from him.

She threw it against her bed, and went to the bathroom. She knew it was petty to feel gleeful that he now had to wait for a reply, but she did feel that way.

She took extra time in washing her hands, making sure to prolong his wait. She scrubbed every place she could think of on her hands, and dried them just as thoroughly.

Once she got out of the bathroom, however, she ran for her bed, eager to know what could have possibly taken him so long to type.

What she found pissed her off so much that she very nearly screamed in frustration.

_we need to meet in person for that to happen._

_hell no! last time i saw you, you nearly assaulted me!_

Like hell she would let him too close to her! Even if it was all a rouse, something was just...off about him. And Chloe didn't like that one little bit. He had the strangest aura about him...almost as if he was...otherworldly.

She shook that outrageous thought from her head. What a dumb notion. He was just as human, just as normal, as herself.

His reply came, and a startled cry of outrage broke free from her throat.

_then i guess youll never know._

She snapped her phone shut, and laid angrily on her bed. Chloe crossed her arms, and stared at the wall contemplating her options.

Well, she could stop around her room like an angry child. Or perhaps she could negotiate something with him. Or she could go and meet him. It all really depended on how badly Chloe wanted answers.

And, oh boy, did she want answers.

Maybe she could bargain something with him. Maybe they could meet in a place of her choice. Like, say, the mall, or her house.

She could probably get him to do that. But, what if he didn't go for it? What would she do then? Agree to go somewhere strange with him, or stay in the safety of her home?

But, she had to give it her best shot.

She picked up her phone, and started to think of some way to get them alone in public, or at least where she was comfortable. She had to do it with delicacy, though, otherwise she would never be able to get him to do it her way.

_well, i guess...as long as i can get some say in where we meet._

There, she thought triumphantly, _I didn't sound too pushy, and just needy enough that he should cut me a little slack._

Chloe got her reply quickly. It seems that he was waiting for her answer.

_possibly. depends on where you wanna go._

Hmm, she had to play this next part carefully. If she pushed too hard, then he would never agree with her. But if she didn't push hard enough, then he wouldn't agree with her, either.

_im not asking too much. i just want to pick out our rendezvous point._

Chloe mentally crossed her fingers as she waited tight-lipped for his response.

It took him several minuets for him to reply, and in that time, she decided that they could meet in the mall. They would be hidden in public, and that's the safest thing she could think of.

_okay, wheres your idea of a meeting place?_

Chloe grinned a grin of victory, and quickly sent him her answer.

_in the mall._

She hit send, and then after a seconds thought, she cancelled the message.

_how about the mall, that okay?_

There, that was better, she thought. She didn't want to sound so pushy, so she edited it, just a little bit.

_where?_

She was surprised that he had agreed, but she didn't miss out on her opportunity.

_near the food court._

She wanted to sound firm with him this time, showing him that she was confident in this decision. Otherwise, he might see a gap, and try to persuade her to go elsewhere, and she couldn't have that.

Again, he seemed to take a while, and Chloe assumed that he was thinking about trying to get her to sway her.

Soon enough, though, he replied.

_fine. meet me there tomorrow after school ends._

That's where she'd seen him before! He was that new kid that everyone had been a-buzz about! She was proud of herself for figuring that out, but a feeling of danger settled low in the pit of her stomach.

_fine. ill see you there, then._

She shut her phone for the last time that night, and rolled over to look at the clock. It was ten o'clock. She groaned, and rolled over again. She got up, flipped the covers back over, and laid down to go to bed.

Once she was in a comfortable position, she turned the light off. She huddled in the tiny spot of warmth that her body generated.

But, right before she faded off, she saw him standing in her room. She tried to open her eyes, but suddenly sleep crashed over her, smothering her in darkness.

* * *

><p>AN: Did you like it? :3 then REVIEWWWW! :D :D :D

~Sammi :D


	4. Chapter 3

A/N: HERE'S THE NEXT CHAPTERRR! :D :D

**SHOUT-OUT** **TIMEE**! :D

**murry-2012**: OOOH! It must have been something utterly DEVIOUS! :3 lol, what should YOUR nickname be? What about...Apocalypto? lol, jk, jk...it DOES have a cool ring to it, though...Apocalypto...you know..since 2012 is the year the world is gonna end...? Yeah, maybe I should think of a better one...Hmmm, I'll think of a new one, and then-OH! I know! Merry! Since murry sounds kinda like merry...yeah, I know I'm totally lame. So, until I think of a better one, choose between Apocalypto or Merry. Hehhehheh, both are pretty bad, but it is my personal goal to nickname every single one of my reviewers! :D Just let me know If I can do it, and if I can, THEN you can pick one of the above! :{D

**AbandonAllShipsLover**: Dayum, your names longgg! XD I shall, I shalll! XD Anyways, I think your nickname should be Overboard. 'Cause, ya know...abadon ship, overboard...? No...okkay...I'll try to think of a better one, but until then can I call you that? PLEASE? It would be so coooolll! :D Really, it would! XD Well, tell me if that's even OKAY, first. Then pick one of the above! :D

**Jingles**: HA! i have your nickname down PAT! XD did my explanation help? even a little bit? XD

**bloodyXfangs**: :D :D it wasss! :D I'm happehhh! XD So here's the next oneee! :D Hmmm, I think your nickname should be...The Ancient One. Lol, because vampires are all olllddd and stuff? Hmmm, maybe I should try again...What about...urg, I keep wanting to say, "Nummy Necks," but that makes almost no sense...even if i think it sounds cool...hmmm, well I'll try again at a later time. Tell me if it's okkay to call you by a nickname, and choose one of the above, until I think of better alternatives...XD

**hawiiangrl**: *waggles eyebrows* Doesn't he, though? XD Hmm, your nickname should totally be, like, Hula! Lol, I doubt that's even how you spell it, but oh well! XD Tell me if it;s okay to call you that! :3

**Sweetie**: HAH! I have your nickname, too! XD I SUCCEEDED THEN! XD lol, i updatedz! :D

**Seddie**: your nickanme is totally gonna be Ria. No shit, man. Wait...if anyone else calls you that, you gotta tell me so that I can get one that no one has used beforeee! :D :D Anyways, Thank you! :D :D Welllll, they KINDA are...but that'll change later on! :D :O XD REALLY? That's SO EFFING COOOOOL! XD Lol, that makes me supa happeh! :D :D :D hehhehheh, you'll seeee! XD

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Three<strong>

The next day, she awoke groggy, and she felt like her body weighed twenty tons. Her alarm clock was screaming "Memories" by David Guetta. Somehow, she managed to raise her arm and turn it off. It was a herculean effort at worst, and her arm immediately fell to her side after she hit the button.

She struggled to get up, after all the numbers on her clock didn't lie, and she needed to get ready for school.

But before she could, her mind flashed to what happened last night. He had been there. In her room. He had been watching her, she knew it. However, she had no way to prove it, but her eyes didn't tell lies, just as clocks don't. He had been there, she was sure of it.

Chloe shuddered, and all the warmth seemed to seep out of her body through her feet. She clutched her arms to her chest and blew out a gusty sigh.

She wanted to throw the covers back onto her body, but she barely suppressed the urge, and got out of bed. It was even colder standing up, but the only way to get warm was to move.

Chloe shuffled around for a few minuets, just trying to get her blood pumping, before she actually started to get ready. She walked over to her closet, and picked out a pair of comfortable flared jeans, and a cute red tank top that made her brown hair look a dark auburn.

She added a little blush, slapped on her thongs, and headed downstairs. There, she saw her dad making some pancakes, and bacon.

She got up right next to him, and took a big whiff of the cooking food. It smelled really good, and her mouth started watering.

"Yum. What's cooking? It smells delicious."

"Use your eyes. I know you can see what I'm cooking. And it does smell good, doesn't it?" her dad turned around to grin at her.

Chloe made a face, then leaned in to get a better look. The bacon was sizzling and popping, and the pancakes were giving off a heavenly smell.

She sighed happily. "You always did make the best bacon around. Make sure mine are especially crispy. You know how I like 'em, dad.". She threw a smile over her shoulder, and headed over to where Jesse was sitting at the table.

She ruffled his hair affectionately, and he swatted her hand away, a frown marring his adorable little face. After she a had walked a few feet away, he turned back to look at his food. He picked up his fork and twirled it through his syrup.

She sat down next to him, and tried to look at his face, but she twisted it away.

"What's a matter, Jesse? Why are you so sullen today?"

He gave me a confused look, and Chloe smiled nicely. "Sullen, like down in the dumps, or sad."

"Oh," was all that he said. Chloe gave him a glance that said, "Tell me, or I'll annoy you until you tell me."

He pouted again, and turned back to playing with his food. He did that for a few more minuets, then Chloe heard his fork clatter to the plate. She looked up from the helping of bacon and pancakes that she had gotten, and looked at her little brother.

He looked sad, and then started to speak. "I just really don't want to go to school today. We have a big test today, and I don't wanna take it."

She gave him a reproachful look as she said, "Running away from something doesn't make it better. Just go today and do your best, okay?"

He looked a little better, but he was still pouting rather aggressively. "Fine, but I still don't wanna take it."

Chloe laughed. "No one does, sweetie. Just do your best, and when you get a great grade, you can come home bragging about it to everybody. And if you don't, I'll share something with you."

His eyes immediately lit up, and he looked happier. "Okay! I can do that!"

Then he jumped up from his chair, and grabbed his backpack, then ran over to their dad. "Hurry up and eat, daddy! I wanna go to school! I have to go take a test!" His eyes had dimmed a little after that last sentence, but they started to glow again, almost immediately.

Their dad laughed, as she hugged the little boy with a determined fire in his eyes.

Jesse bounced impatiently and incessantly until we were all ready to go to school. He ran to the car, and Chloe followed suit, hopping into the front seat. Their dad took a couple more seconds than the rest of them, and when he got into the car and revved the engine Jesse stopped bouncing, and shot their dad a happy glance. He relaxed into the cushy car seat, and some of the hyperness settled down.

Soon, they dropped him off at his school, and then their dad dropped Sierra off at hers. She waved goodbye as her dad drove off, and she walked up to the demure building that was her school. She strode through the double doors, and walked right into Mila.

"M-M-M-Mila! What's up?" Chloe sang.

"Hey! Not much what about you?" Mila was a long-time friend of Chloe's, and they were almost complete opposites. She friend was short, lean, and had blonde hair blue eyes. Mila, on the other hand had a sturdy, tall frame, with brown hair, which shined auburn in the sunlight. Mila was a boy-crazed preppy kind of girl, and Chloe was more of the bookish type.

Even still, they were the best of friends, they balanced each other out perfectly, and whenever someone inquired about their somewhat odd relationship, in unison they'd chime, "Opposites attract, dearie."

Arm-in-arm, they walked to their respective lockers, and gathered their things. Just then Mila leaned into Chloe.

"There he is! Derek, the sexy transfer student! Oh, what I wouldn't give for—"

"Okay, Mila! Nobody wants to hear you finish the rest of that sentence. Besides, I don't really get all the hype about him. Yeah, he's a transfer student, and yeah, he's kind of cute, but still!"

Mila gave her a long-suffering stare. "Your hormones just haven't kicked in yet, but when they do—"

"Jesus, Mila! What do you not understand about the word shut-up? I was trying to be nice about it and everything. Ugh. Spare me. Besides, he's kind of an arse."

Mila whirled around, quicker than lightening. "How do you know what he's like? Where did you meet him? _Where,_ Chloe! This is important to the girly-girl that lives within me."

Chloe rolled her eyes exaggeratedly at her friend. "Tell you later. Besides, if you don't look now, he'll be gone from sight."

Mila whipped around again, just in time to watch him walk pass. Chloe didn't know what to expect, really. Maybe a courteous nod of the head, a little bit of eye contact. Hell, she'd even take a non-committal shrug in her direction. Just something to show that he'd acknowledged her presence. Even just enough to make Mila crazy jealous. She sighed.

_I've more watched more than enough movies with that happening. Maybe I'm confusing reality with fantasy._ She thought drearily.

She closed her eyes for a second to clear her head, and when she opened them again, Mila was right in her face. "Now. Tell me now, or I will be forced to take drastic measures."

"Mila!" she moaned. "Why now? Can't it wait for later? Homeroom is about to start!"

Mila glanced surreptitiously around. "Hm, saved by the bell. Just know my fragile patience is waning rather quickly. I will be back." she said, shoving a polished finger into her chest. Mila threw one last sharp glare at Chloe, and she waved goodbye, smiling.

Chloe huffed out a breath, when she bumped into a black-clad chest. She stood there for a surprised moment, then looked up.

Derek smiled childishly. Chloe scowled and pushed him back a couple of steps. "D-don't you know the meaning of p-personal space?" Chloe asked scathingly.

He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Hm, can't say that I do. Would you mind teaching me?" He said stepping close to her again. She shot him a disgusted look, and stepped back.

"You know, you're going to be late for homeroom. And, unlike you, I like to be on-time for things."

He smirked, and as she walked away, he felt his gaze like it was a tangible thing. Then, a stroke found it's way in between her shoulder blades, and stopped right in the middle of her tattoo.

She froze, and the finger, pulled away. Then she felt warm breath on her neck. "Play nice. After all, I wouldn't want a sweet little thing like you to get hurt. If you don't want to get beat up, by my 'friends', then you'll do what I say.

"Don't believe me? I don't want to know what would happen if they got their hands on you. They are the scum of the town, and I wouldn't want you to get dirty." He whispered the words in her ears, and they were for her ears alone. He pulled back, and she still stood there, rooted to the floor.

"Is th-that a threat?" Chloe asked quietly.

"Unfortunate as this may be, I can guarantee you that it's a fact. When you meet me at the mall, I will explain what I can and want, and will tell you what will happen. Understood?"

Chloe was shaking, it was partly fear, but it was mostly from anger. _Does he think he can just order me around like that? Well, I'll set a few terms or myself, as well._

She whirled around, and found the hallway empty. She felt a little scowl grow on her face. Then the bell rang. Chloe moaned, and ran through the hallways, trying her best to salvage the tattered remains of her happiness.

By lunch, Chloe had her good mood restored, and she was walking along with Amber, when an unseen force dragged her into the girls' restroom.

"You will tell me now! No more excuses! Oh, and by the way, I saw your little escapade with him, this morning."

"Um, first of all, I think the word escapade was used wrong, and secondly, I need to defend myself! Give me a chance to explain!" Chloe gave her friend a look that said, _I know you're probably mad at me, but please let me give you my piece!_

Her friend grinned evilly. "I never said I was _mad_ at you. I just want some answers, and you've been avoiding me all day. Don't think I can't tell! Anyways, I need answers. I mean, you're my good buddy and all, and yet you won't tell me what's goin' on with you and the transfer student! C'mon! It can't really be _that_ bad!" Mila said with a grin.

_Oh, if only you knew_, Chloe thought ruefully. "Well, I met him at an ice cream shop, when I was taking Jesse out for some ice cream as a reward. Anyways, so we get there, and he's hanging out with a bunch of gangster-wannabes. They're leering at me, and after we got our ice cream and sat down, he walked up to me, acting cocky as hell. He was acting . . . so grossly and rudely. So I tell him off, and as we're about to walk out, he grabs me and shoves a piece of paper into my hands.

"I left as quickly as I could, and didn't look at the paper until we got home. I unfolded it and it said to call him so that he could explain everything to me. So I texted him, oh, and I put him as Damien in my contacts list, and so he coerced me into meeting him at the mall after school today. Happy, now?"

"Yeah, he is kind of an arse. But hey, at least he aint' an eyesore." Mila said.

"Yeah, I guess...," Chloe grumbled.

When Chloe looked up, Mila was smirking, looking triumphant. "What? Did I do something?" Chloe asked self-consciously.

"Nope," Mila said as she walked away.

"Mila! You can't just walk away from me what a smug expression!" Mila only giggled, and walked through the cafeteria doors.

"Mila!" Chloe yelled. Mila either was ignoring her, or didn't hear her, because she didn't react in the slightest.

Chloe grudgingly gave up the chase, and walked for the lunch line. She craned her head, trying to find a friend to talk to. She found Amber, and skipped jauntily up to her.

"Sorry about Mila. You know how she is when she wants an answer to something." Chloe gave her friend a small smile.

"Nah, it's okay, I know how she can get sometimes. Once, she wanted me to tell her something, and I made her wait for a couple of hours, and when she next saw me, she practically cornered me. I look back at it now and laugh, but then it was more than a little bit scary."

Chloe ginned, and patted her friend reassuringly on the back. "Don't worry, we've all been on the wrong side of Mila's curiosity. I shudder to think of what might happen if someone waited longer than a day to tell her something."

Amber's eyes widened in horror as she pictured what might happen. "Oh my _god_! She would probably go on a stakeout, and the moment the unfortunate soul who withheld information came into sight, she would tackle them. After several moments of awkward silence, she would probably demand answers. I can see it now: Girl Attacks Friend for Unidentifiable Reasons, read more on page twelve."

They both laughed, and after a while walked out of the kitchen area, with food in hand. They chattered on about menial things, and when they found Mila again she was sitting and talking with Brent, her boyfriend. Really, he had been both of their friends for quite a while, and they had both liked each other, so it was natural for them to start dating. The best part was that it didn't muddle their friendship.

"Hey, Brent!" Chloe said. "Watch out, Mila's got her eyes on 'Derek, the sexy transfer student', which is a direct quote, might I add." Brent gazed over at Mila who held her nose in the air.

"Hmph. Well, you can't blame me for telling the truth, but just know, Brent, honey, that I have eyes only for you. I was trying to get Chloe Introvert to admit that he was cute, too. I mean seriously, Chloe, you have almost no interaction with the opposite sex. But, I can _see_ the types of books you read, you know. You want it _bad_." Mila was smirking by the end of her impromptu speech, and Chloe was blushing furiously.

"So? There's nothing wrong with that," she said defensively.

"Now she's acting defensive. That's a sure sign."

"I am _not_ acting defensive!"

"Sure," Mila drew the word out. "Maybe you're just in denial. There's that option, too."

Chloe blushed again, and hastily sat down.

"Jesus," breathed Brent. "When you guys go, you don't beat around the bush." He clapped at them, and they both shot him a tiny glare. Chloe and Mila locked glances, then looked up at the shocked Amber.

"Chloe," she said astonished. "The hell kind of books do you read?"

"Uh," Amber and Brent were both looking at her, expecting answers, and she blushed again. "Um, it's not that important. Hey, why don't you sit down Amber, it looks a little uncomfortable standing like that, when we're all sitting down," she said to quickly change the subject.

She sat down hesitantly, still staring at Mila with wide, surprised eyes.

"Well, I'll tell you one thing, they're _all_ romances. Ranging from very adult, to regular teenage-ery things. Most of them are in the middle, though."

"Oh, shut-up, Mila. I can also see what _you_ read. It's not like you try to hide it, either."

Brief embarrassment flashed over her face. "Psh, I'm not going to deny it, though. Besides, those books have amazing plots and ideas, even without romance-y things goin' on."

Chloe _harrumphed_, and went back to eating. After a few seconds of silence, they all burst out laughing hysterically. Only after a few tears were shed, and a couple stitches came to their sides, did they stop.

"Oh, my _god_, Amber! You should have seen your face! 'The hell kinds of books you read?'" Mila mocked badly.

"Oh, and it's not like you didn't have a face when I told them about your books!" Chloe managed through another fit of giggles. "No matter how brief it was, it was still there, and let me tell you, it was priceless."

"Oh, ho, ho!" Brady called out. "Says the queen of tomato faces."

Chloe mock scowled. "If you weren't Mila's boyfriend, and our long-time friend, you would be slapped right now."

He gave her a hurt face, and then they were both subject of their laughter again. They calmed back down a few seconds later, and soon they were joined by the rest of their lunch crowd. They retold most of the fight, leaving out most of the embarrassing parts, and imitating each other badly. It was fun to say the least.

That is until she looked across the cafeteria to gaze out of the windows.

Her gaze faltered about three quarters of the way to the window, and she locked gazes with Derek. She blinked, surprised for a moment, then she scowled, and shot him an extremely hostile glare. He laughed and looked away, and she felt her cheeks redden again.

Sourly, her good mood ruined by him, again, she turned back to her lunch. Mila saw the change in her friends face immediately. She reached out to touch Chloe's hand, tentatively, and squeezed. When Chloe looked up, Mila mouthed, _What's wrong?_

Chloe flicked a glance over behind Mila, and as inconspicuously as possible, she turned to see who had brought Chloe's mood down. When her eyes landed on Derek, she glanced sharply back at Chloe.

_What did he do?_ She mouthed.

Chloe shrugged. _He was staring at me funny._

Mila's gaze narrowed dangerously. _When can I kick his ass?_

Chloe shifted uncomfortably, and shrugged, again. _After I figure something out._

Mila looked concerned for a moment, and was about to protest, but the look Chloe was giving her made her keep quiet. It was the look of someone who wanted something desperately, and Mila knew that is she did something, it might ruin it.

She sighed, and mouthed, _fine_.

Chloe smiled slightly, and then went back to eating her food. She looked fine, or, well, mostly fine, on the outside, but really, she was having a minor freak-out.

_Oh, god! What is he going to do to me after school? Why the hell did I agree in the first place? What the hell is going_ on _with me?_

She was about to start pulling her hair out by the roots, and if someone didn't come up with a distraction, she was frightened that she actually would. Her breath flew out, and then janitors came in with the trash-cans, signaling the end of lunch. Chloe sat there for longer than necessary, just to make sure that he wasn't there, where she could accidentally run into him. She snuck a covert glance around, and when she was almost positive that he wasn't anywhere near, she got up to throw her lunch away.

Chloe felt a prickling sensation on the back of her neck, and she knew that he was behind her. She quickly turned, just to see a guy that she didn't know. Derek wasn't in sight. She took a deep breath, and tried to relax.

_You're just being paranoid He's not here, and he won't magically appear behind me, either_, she thought.

As she dumped her lunch into the trash, she saw a dark silhouette out of the corner of her eye. She blinked and it was gone, but that didn't stop her from double checking, just to make certain.

Chloe left the cafeteria in a paranoid fashion, and jumped at even the slightest noise. She speed-walked to her locker, and grabbed things for her next class. Where could he possibly catch her by surprise? She didn't share any classes with him, so she was safe on that front. That left only the hallways and lunch, where he could intercept her. And, if she was being honest with herself, she would admit that she was contemplating not showing up at the meeting after school.

However, the insatiable curiosity that was housed within her, insisted that she meet up with him. What had happened. What was on her back, and what was with him last night. If that really had been him in her room last night. She shivered involuntarily, and cast a furtive glance at the clogged hallway, full of buzzing students. When she was certain that his face wasn't hiding anywhere, she started the long trip to her biology classroom. She expertly maneuvered herself through the crowd of bustling students, and darted through the hallways, glancing over her shoulder repeatedly, just to make sure that he wasn't behind her.

_Biology is safe_, she reasoned. Mila was there, so she could talk to her, and ignore everyone else. Maybe she could even temporarily forget about her rendezvous with _him_ after school.

As she passed through the threshold into the classroom, she instantly felt safer. She sidled down in her usual seat, and started to arrange her supplies. She got out her homework, and a pencil, and checked the board to see if there was anything to do.

They were studying the animal kingdom, and the warm-up was to name, from broadest to most specific, the classification chart. Chloe sighed, and got out a sheet of college-ruled paper.

_Okay, Kingdom, Phylum, Genus...wait, no. Isn't there something in between those? What was it again...?_

Then she heard the teacher make a startled noise. "What are you doing here," the teacher asked with a puzzled tone.

She heard an all-to-familiar deep rumble, and she froze. "Yeah, I had a schedule-change. We just needed to rearrange a few things," said Derek.

Chloe stiffened instantly, her pencil poised above her scratched out answer.

_Don't look up, don't look up,_ she chanted, praying that Mila would walk in soon. And, if her white-knuckled grip on her pencil wasn't an indication, she was angry and scared. But, scared of what she wasn't quite sure of. The predatory grace with which he moved, and the disturbing glint in his eyes were a little intimidating, sure, but she wasn't _afraid_ of it. Aesthetically, he was creepy and domineering, but not scary.

_He oozes danger,_ her subconscious said, _if flows off of him, you would have to be blind not to see it._ And, it was true, danger dripped off of his skin, showed itself in his gait, and gleamed in his face. She watched him, cautiously, from under the cover of her eyelashes, and saw him sit in the seat directly in front of her.

She shifted uncomfortably, and refocused on the work in front of her. She wracked her brain for the thing that was eluding her, and after a couple of minuets, she gave up. Frustrated at herself, she sat up straight in her chair, and saw that Mila was walking in. She strutted into the room, with a self-satisfied expression on her face. She had a little skip in her step, and she smiled at Chloe, and she was about to wave at her when she saw Derek. The smile slid into a grimace, and her half-raised hand dropped limply to her side.

Derek sat up, and Chloe saw him wave jauntily at Mila. Mila watched him warily, and moved to sit next to Chloe. After she sat down, Chloe heard a quiet rumble, and looked up to see Dereks's chest shake. He was laughing at Mila! Oh, this guy had some nerves.

He shook his head while he laughed, making him look disappointed, for some reason. She saw the gleam of his white teeth, and she concluded that he was smiling, too. So it wasn't some kind of weird deprecating humor.

He stopped his head, which was still to the side, and one piercing green eye watched her. He was still smiling, and he looked like a lion about to devour his prey.

Chloe shot him a little glare, and then class started. She was relieved to be taking notes, and not having time to think, for maybe the first time. She didn't want to think, thinking was making her nervous. She didn't want to think about what was going to go down after school today. Not until it was time, anyways.

The rest of the class was spent taking mind numbing notes, something she welcomed with open arms. As soon as class was over, she and Mila bolted for the door.

"I have officially decided that he is a freaking nut job. A very sexy one, though," Mila said.

"How did you come to that conclusion, my dear?" Chloe asked innocently.

"He's a creeper. He was leering at you, in a very creepy manor, and he has creepy eyes, and a creepy smile, and he's just creepy. Did I mention that he's creepy?"

Chloe laughed. "Yup, at least five times, too. Maybe more."

"So. It's the end of school. I have pieced together, that you have plans today. Am I right?"

Chloe shuddered for effect. "Yeah, I do. I'll text you later, okay?"

Mila looked worried for a second, then she smiled. "'Kay! Just don't forget!" She skipped away, going for her locker, and leaving Chloe alone. She maneuvered her way through the halls, and when she got to her locker, she was kind of angry. She was angry at Derek, and angry at herself for getting into this mess.

_I_ knew _I shouldn't have opened that stupid note! Stupid curiosity. It's going to be the death of me, I know it._ She was mechanically putting her stuff in her locker, and reaching for her backpack. She was still fuming as she got to her bus. A hand tapped her shoulder.

"I noticed you don't have a ride. Mind if I give you a lift?"

She stiffened instantly. "Derek, I don't trust you to drive me to where we agreed. Leave me alone."

"Aw, but you promised after school. It's after school now, and I felt like offering you some help. Why won't you take it?"

She spun around. "Because I don't trust you. Get it through your Neanderthal skull."

He leaned in close to her again. "Do what I say. They're watching us."

Chloe froze. "W-w-who is wa-watching us?

His breath tickled her ear. "The boys, of course. And I promised them something. Something that not only benefits _me_, but will probably save your innocence. Come with me, or you might risk something bad happening."

"Wh-wh-what did y-you _t-t-t-tell_ them?" Chloe asked with alarm.

"I'll tell you when you're in the gaddamned car where it's safe."

He grabbed her arm, and she suddenly felt compelled to follow him. She _wanted_ to, in fact. After all, it's not like he would hurt her.

He lightly pulled on her arm, and she followed him, without any resistance. He opened the door to his car, and she got in. After he got in and started the engine, she felt like someone had slapped her.

"What the hell did you just do to me?" she spat.

He smiled.

* * *

><p>AN: You know what would make me SUPER happy? It would be if you clicked that REALLY inviting, big review button! I am a review junkie, no joke. I thrive on that shizz, man! XD

~Sammi :D


	5. Chapter 4

_A/N: ... HOLY SHIT I AM SO GODDAMNED SORRY! I actually have an excuse, too! My computer pulled a fast one on me. I got a virus, and not only were ALL my files deleted, but I couldn't write! My parents wouldn't let me use any other computer, either, because they thought that I would infect them, too. A legit concern, but COME ON._

*dies*

GAH, I'M SO SORRY! It was happening so slowly that I didn't even NOTICE it happening, 'till it was too late! T^T

I AM SO SORRYYYY.

**Shout-out Time~!** AWW~! Too many to put in my responses! That makes me happy and sad at the same time... :D

**Nummy Necks(bloodyXfangs), Jingles (Ginnie-Belle), EmeraldRain37, Overboard(AbandonAllShipsLover), Ria (SeddieBangelandWarriors4eva), Hula (hawaiiangrl), Apocalypto (murrey-2012), nAnytOngshE, LuckyTigger, new-Necro03, Waadington Bear, and elizi02**

I LOVE YOU ALLLL~! And I will almost always reply to your reviews, people!~

* * *

><p>The smile itself was smug, and held a prevailing sense of darkness. Like he knew something that Chloe didn't, and that he would never tell.<p>

She was terribly afraid, now. How did he get her to come along, without a fight? She didn't even make a peep.

"Well," she started angrily, "aren't you going to explain?"

"Like I said earlier, I get to choose what I do ad don't answer," he rumbled. "That is one question that you might never get an answer to."

She glared at him, and then started to assess the car. _Okay, there's two doors in the front, and the unlock button is right next to the door handle. When the next red light pops up, I can jump out._

Then he made a strange turn, and it caused Chloe's stomach to plummet. "I thought you said that we were going to the mall," she said shakily.

"We are."

"Then why are you going the wrong way?" she shouted, exasperated, after he took another strange turn.

"Oh, I'm going the right way. It's just not the traditional route."

She crossed her arms, and tried to shrink into her seat. She could already tell that there would be no stoplights along this path. After all, it was in the middle of the forest, and as far as she could tell, he was lying to her. Seriously, "It's just not the traditional route," was one of the worst lies she had ever heard.

So, she started to plot again. _Hm, so if there isn't going to be any stoplights, I can't escape directly from the car. What does that leave? Well, I don't really have a weapon, so threatening him isn't an option. Plus, I have no clue where we are, and I could get lost easily in this god forsaken forest. Maybe nothing horrible will happen, and I won't have to try and beat him senseless._ She sighed forlornly.

_Yeah, right. Knowing him, something horrible is probably going to happen. I have no idea what to expect, anymore. He's just so stubborn, and makes the strangest ideas and choices. I bet if it does come to blows, he's going to pull out some secret weapon, and I'll be totally defenseless._

So why didn't he answer her question? What could he possibly be hiding. And how did he get her to do that? There is almost no way that someone should be able to use compulsion like that.

"I can practically see the gears turning in your brain. Why don't you voice some of your concerns," he said in his gruff voice.

"Like I would tell you anything. I told you this twice and I won't say it again. I don't trust you."

"Ah, but you see, I can read your face. You're trying to figure out how I managed to get you to come without a fight. Well, I'll tell you this. If this works out right, and you are the person I think you are, then I'll tell you."

"What the hell do you mean, 'if I'm the right person'? That makes absolutely no sense. You've never even met me before!" Chloe practically screamed at him.

"Like I said, if this is right, then I can tell you. And not a moment till then." Then he started to mess around with his hair, for one reason or another, she couldn't see why though.

"Well, if you won't explain your magic compulsion technique to me, explain the damn tattoo on my back."

"Ah, I have absolutely no clue what you're talking about," he said, almost too innocently.

"You know. The one that was put on my back after I read your stupid note with those bizarre runes? The blue one?" She said, anger raising her voice with every word.

"Are you sure you know what you're talking about?"

"Of course I do! Look!"

Chloe unclipped the seatbelt, and turned, while she gently pulled up her shirt, just enough so that he could see the blue outer ring.

He snorted. "Yes, I know you and all the other girls are just dying to strip for me, but I don't see anything besides pale skin." The comment was laced with sarcasm, and he rolled his eyes.

She face scrunched up, and she tried to see what he was talking about. It was impossible to see her back from that angle, so she couldn't tell for sure if he was telling the truth or not.

Hastily, she tugged her shirt down, and turned, again, so that he couldn't see her beet red face.

_Stupid, stupid, stupid! She thought. Why the hell did I just do that? I was almost half-naked in front of that pervert! God, someone kill me now! _If it was even possible, her face grew even redder.

They drove for a little while longer when they suddenly stopped. Now Chloe, having hid behind her knees, didn't know where they were, but the large building looked familiar.

"Where are we?" She asked hesitantly.

"Why the mall, of course! Can't you tell?" He was using that damn sarcastic tone again.

"Uh, no. No I can't. What part of the mall are we at? I've never even seen this place before."

"Well, I took the hidden route, the one through the middle of the forest, as you saw, and now we're at the rear-end of the mall."

"Wait. I didn't know there was a hidden road to the mall. How did you?" She asked peevishly.

"Well, that road is a place that only employees know, especially the teenage ones. The mall has horrible parking, and the lines are terrible, so they made that path for them to get in easier. As for how I know, I have friends in the system."

She made a small sound of annoyance. "So why did you take this path?"

"To make sure no one knew exactly where we were going. After all, that road is very twisty, and only someone that knows the way can get through it. Follow me, now."

He got out of the car, and started to walk away, and, sighing heavily, she followed suit. She jogged so that she could catch up with him.

They found a door, which was marked "Authorized Personal Only," and Derek walked in, not hesitating in the slightest. Chloe, on the other hand, stopped, unsure if she should continue to follow him.

"Don't worry. I have the secret code. It'll be fine." He waved his hand dismissively, and hesitantly, Chloe stepped forward. No alarms or sirens went off, so she stepped again, just to make sure. After she concluded that no burly body-guard would step out and grab her, she raced forward, again.

She looked up at him, and noticed something on him. "Hey," she started. "What's that weird little thing in your hair?"

He stiffened for a moment. "What? I have no clue what you're talking about."

She reached forward, unabashedly. "This little do-hickey, near your ear. It's black, and looks...strange. Here let me get it for you." She stood on her tip-toes, and brushed some of his hair out of the way, and grabbed at it, only to discover it was connected to his ear as well. It looked kind of like an earphone, the kind that secret agents use. It was sleek black, and it looked like it had a microphone attached to it, as well as a camera.

"What the heck is this?" she breathed.

"Give it back!" he said in a cold tone. He swept it from her hand, and she heard a little crunching noise.

"Did you just break it? What was it anyways?"

"Well, you're certainly more observant than I thought. It was a little early for that to happen, but that gives up more time. What did you think it was?"

"Well, it looked kind of like a camera, and a little microphone."

"You'd be right except for one thing. It also had a Bluetooth in it. So that they could hear and see everything that we do. I was required to wear it, and I had hoped that you would see it, and take it off like you did."

She was gaping open-mouthed at that statement. "But why would you even need that? Oh, is that what you were doing when you started to play with your hair? And who is 'they'? You keep mentioning them."

"Yes, that was what I was doing earlier. I didn't expect you to notice that, either." He said appreciatively. "Now, do you remember the trash at the ice-cream place?" She nodded, comprehendingly. "Well, I told them some things, to get on their good side. One of them would be that I would make you my girlfriend. Ah!" he said, cutting off her protests.

"Now, I don't expect you to actually do that, but in public I need you to act that way. Got it? They've got eyes in the school, and almost everywhere else, too. They made me where this camera to make sure I followed through. There's one of their guys in the mall, and he'll be observing us. There I will ask you out. Got it? It's not like I want this either." He mumbled that last part to himself, but Chloe heard it all the same.

"But why did you need to be on their good side in the first place?" she said exasperated, and slightly miffed.

"They have things that I need, and knowledge, too. In order to get on their good side, I had to act like an ass. Trust me when I tell you that I don't normally act like that. That's who 'they' are. Anyways, I can explain things to you while we're here. Ask away."

They stopped in their progress to the door, and she turned to face him doubtfully.

"Seriously," she said.

"Seriously," he replied with a crooked almost-grin.

"Okay. What was with the whole tattoo thing?"

"Actually, I wasn't lying to you when I said you might never get an answer to some of your questions. And, I didn't see a tattoo anywhere."

"I thought you said–"

"Yeah, I know what I said. Ask a different question."

She crossed her arms over her chest, and assumed a position that clearly conveyed her pissed-off state. "Fine. Do you always act like an ass to total strangers, do weird shit to them, and practically stalk them?"

The words were clipped, and she drummed her fingers lightly on her arm.

"Actually, no. Honestly, I'm not a terrible person, I can promise you that. Like I said, I'm sorry I had to drag you into this mess. But if I hadn't done something, then one of them would've. I don't want that to happen to you, so I offered. The reason I did that to you is something I can explain, though. I already told you I was trying to get on their good side, but other than that, I think you're highly suspect."

"Highly suspect? To what, may I ask?"

"I can't go into detail, but I can give you a general idea of what's going on. Let's just say that I've been looking for someone. A very special someone, and I think it might be you."

She snorted. "Special my ass. It's not like I'm supposed to be the Chosen One or some other bull. Okay, so what's your real reason?"

"I already told you, but I don't expect you to believe me. Anyways, I need to get close to you so that I can make sure. As much as a pain this might be for you, I need to spend time with you. Get to know you, among other things."

"Hey, how did you find me in the first place?"

"I can't say, but I really need your help in trying to 'get together.'"

Chloe smiled slightly, then. "Are you good at math, by any chance?" she said with a wicked gleam in her eyes.

He looked surprised for a moment, but recovered quickly. "I'm in AP calc with trig, why?"

"What the hell?"

"Got a problem with it?"

She recovered quickly. "Because I already lied to my mom about getting a potential math tutor after she saw your phone number. So, I thought if you actually could, it would be great. Also, I suck at math."

He laughed then, and it filled the dank hallway with its strangely musical sound. "No, I wouldn't mind tutoring you. I guess that solves both of our problems."

"Good, and when you decide to tell me the truth, go ahead."

He smiled then, and it totally transformed his entire face. Yeah, he had been good-looking before, but now he looked gorgeous. Not that she would ever admit to thinking that.

She smiled in response, and they turned and started to walk again. It took a good minuet to get to the door, but when they got there, she saw a little keypad.

"Wow, you weren't kidding when you said you knew the code."

"I told you so."

She kicked him in the calf, and he uttered a surprised ow! He reached down to rub at it, and said, "You kick hard for a girl."

"Yeah, I bet you could, too, if you practiced."

He shot her an icy look, and opened the door. And she found herself in the mall. She stepped forward, wonderingly, and looked back at the door. "I didn't even notice that door. Jeez."

He smiled again, and he ushered her to the escalator. He leaned down to whisper in her ear. "I have to start acting like an ass, again, so be prepared. And you need to use your acting skills, please. Be receptive, and almost make a show of it. Okay?"

"Fine," she grumbled.

He put a possessive arm around her shoulder, and she played along, and leaned into him. Not that she really minded, though she knew she should. He smelled strange, like a mixture of spices, and he smelled like something else. Something strangely, eerily familiar.

As they got to the last few steps, Chloe noticed someone was following them. He looked normal enough, except for the bar going through his eyebrow. She kept an inconspicuous eye on him, while she and Derek walked to the food court.

They picked a table, and the guy that was following them took the closest one he could. Derek assumed a lazy stance, half on the chair, and half off, with his arms dangling at either side. He had a cocky self-satisfied, almost malicious, grin on his lips, which unnerved her a little bit.

"So, I'm glad you stayed with me. I was thinking that maybe you would try to bail on me once we got into the mall."

She leaned into the table and looked at him from under her lashes.

"Now why would I do that?" she asked, using her best sexy-voice.

He grinned saucily, and crossed his arms. She smiled at him in, what she hoped, was a flirty way, and she tried to flip her hair. Apparently, she succeeded, because he nodded at her in an approving way.

"So, do you want to hook up?"

"Hm. Sure, why not?" she said playfully.

He stood up languidly, and walked over to her. She tried to look at him questioningly, while still appearing flirtatious.

He leaned down, and she expected him to whisper something in her ear, so she was greatly surprised when his mouth landed on hers. He pulled away, after a second or two, and she tried to keep her act up, she smiled, showing him her teeth, and his mouth pulled up into what was more of a snarl than a smile.

She stood up, and walked away, then turned around and beckoned him over to her. He obliged, and they walked away together. They traipsed through the mall, getting closer and closer to the door that would lead them back to his car. Once they cleared the sealed door, she threw his arm off her, and stomped away, enraged.

"Why did you do that?" she asked through gnashed teeth.

"Sorry, I had to seal the deal."

"Fine."

"Hey, at least you did a good job in keeping up the act. You did a pretty well. Actually, it was almost a little too ditzy. The head man will definitely be a little suspicious as to how you seemed to hate me, and then you loved me. Oh, well, I'll just have to convince him that I used a few tricks."

"I never thought of it that way," she mumbled.

"Hey, it's better than under reacting." He reached out to put his arm around her, and she recoiled violently.

"Get away from me. I'm having Mila pick me up." She spat at him.

"I'm afraid we can't do that. They're watching the car. They are real pests, aren't they?" he grimaced, again.

"Yeah, they are. Honestly, I think that you're making half of this crap up. They can't have their eyes on everything, all the time. It's not only unrealistic, it's stupid."

"Well, I can tell you that it's true. I'm still in the process of being accepted as an ally. They're watching every move that I make. They may look like a bunch of uneducated asses, but the people who run the show are some of the most devious little bastards you've ever heard of."

She gave that a little bit of thought. "How long do I have to keep this happy charade up? Until I get to my house? How long, seriously."

He looked considering for a second. "Well, whenever we're in public, that's for sure. When we hang out, and at school when we see each other. I think you'll be safe at your house. Probably at my house, too."

"What makes you think that I'll even step near your house?" she said angrily.

"If you have need to."

She sniffed. "Like that'll ever happen," she said haughtily.

"Like I said, if you ever have need."

"Whatever. Can we leave, now? I'm feeling a little claustrophobic in here." She started marching down the hallway, without a backwards glance. She could hear Derek's grim laughter half way through, and heard rapid footsteps accompanying it.

After he caught up with her, he tried to get Chloe to look at him. After a few failed attempts, he grabbed her arm, gently, and tugged. Violently, she ripped her arm out of his grip. After that, he gave up completely.

Once they got to the door, she breathed in deeply, and put on a cheery face. She hooked her arm into his, and as he opened the door, she gazed up at him through half-raised eyes. Her arm then slipped out of his, and it trailed down his back, slowly, attempting to act right. Really, she was just mimicking movements that she had either read about, or seen. He responded in kind with his hand trailing dangerously near her butt.

She was tempted to slap his had away, but didn't, to save herself possible regret. They parted as the hood of the car got in their way, and they both got into the car. Once the doors were closed, he navigated the forest trails the closely resembled a labyrinth more than a regular trail.

They drove down the road in silence, each lost in their own thoughts. And when they pulled into the driveway, she broke it.

"Hey, do you want to come inside with me?"

"I wouldn't mind in the least."

"Then follow me, sweetie."

They got out of the car, and traveled up to the door, where Sierra grabbed the key.

"Hello?" she called. "Anybody home?"

"Chloe!" called an exited Jesse. "Daddy just went to the store, and she said that she was going to...," he trailed off as he saw who was with her. "Who is that?" he asked tentatively.

Sierra gestured awkwardly to Roman. "Jesse, this is my friend, Derek. Derek," she pointed to Jesse, "this is my little brother, Jesse."

Derek put on an awkward smile, and nodded his head at Jesse. "You look very mature for your age," he said gruffly.

Jesse beamed at him. "I'm six!"

"Honestly, you don't look six. Maybe eight or nine." Said Derek.

"Really?" Jesse asked excitedly. "I look old! That's so cool!" he cheered. "How old are you? You look old!"

"I'm seventeen."

It was obvious that Derek didn't know how to act around kids, but he was doing a pretty good job.

Jesse's eyes widened, again. "You're as old as Chloe? You look even older than that! Wait!" he shouted suddenly. "I've never met a big boy like you before! I feel so cool!". He smiled, and ran over to Derek, grabbed his hand, and tried to drag him into the living room. "C'mon, I'll show you my toys! It'll be so awesome!"

Jesse tried to drag Derek into the living room, and Derek obliged. He took him over to a little carpeted area where a giant chest was overflowing with toys. Jesse let go, and ran towards it, pushing things around, and throwing toys every which way, until he found something. He stopped digging, and tried to wriggle out of the chest that was almost as big as him. When he reemerged, he was carrying a red fire truck.

"This is my favorite toy! Look!" Jesse shoved the toy into Derek's hands, and stepped back while he looked at it.

Derek glanced at the fire truck in an appraising way. He turned it left and right, spinning the wheels, and pulling at the ladder.

"This," said Derek, "is a very accurate model. Would you have any fire men to go with this truck?"

Jesse pouted. "Nah." He shrugged nonchalantly, but the pout gave his act away.

"Why not?"

Jesse crossed his arms angrily. "'Cause I can't find any that fit."

"Well, I have some fire men from when I was younger, and I think they would go perfectly with this truck."

Jesse's eyes widened. "Could I play with them?" he asked hopefully.

"Yeah. After all, who doesn't play with their own toys?"

"I get to keep them?" Jesse asked with rising excitement.

"Sure!"

"Yay!" Jesse cried. He ran away to his room, when he ran back to grab the fire truck that still lay in Derek's hands. Derek willingly gave it up, and Jesse ran away with it in the air, making siren noises.

"Isn't he just the cutest kid you have ever seen?" Chloe asked.

"He's really polite for his age."

"Yeah, he's going to be a real lady-charmer when he grows up. When did you become kid-friendly, anyways?"

Derek shrugged. "I've always loved kids, despite my awkwardness around them. Where's he running off to in such a hurry, anyways?"

"Oh, he's probably going to go and cross that off of his Christmas list. You know how little kids are."

He chuckled warmly. "Hey, you never did tell me what your name was."

"As if you don't know it by now," she responded tartly.

"I knew it from the first moment I saw you. I just want the satisfaction of hearing it come out of your mouth."

She groaned exaggeratedly. "Fine. Fine! It's Chloe. Happy now?"

"Why yes. Yes I am. Anyways, so when are you going to show me to your room?" he said embarrassed.

She shot an amused glance at him. "And, when did I ever say that I was going to show you my room?"

"Out in the car."

She wagged her finger at him. "No I didn't. I asked you if you wanted to come inside with me, not if you wanted to see my room."

"Oh, well," he said.

"You're giving up that easily?"

"Eh, if you show me your room, you do. I can wait."

"You are, quite possibly, the strangest person I have ever met." She replied with a grin. "Anyways, why do you even want to see my room?"

"I just need to see something."

Chloe put a thoughtful hand to her chin, pretending to deliberate. She gazed at him, hard, and beckoned with one finger. She walked up the stairs, and turned right at the top. She walked all the way down the hallway, and stopped when she hit the last room.

"This is my room." She said as she gestured to the door. "You are a guest here. One false move, and you get your ass kicked right back out. Got it?"

He nodded the affirmative, and she opened the door. He stayed outside for a little while, peering in from the doorway. Chloe coughed, and waved her hand forward.

"Have you had anyone in your room lately?"

She shot him an annoyed look. "Well, me, myself, and I certainly have."

He looked at her patronizingly. "You know that's not what I meant. Anybody else?"

She thought about it for a moment. "Mila was here for a little while at one point last week. My dad comes in here everyday, and Jesse also came in last night." She trailed off. "Hey. I know this is probably going to sound very strange to you, seeing as how you've reacted thus far, but were you in my room last night?"

Derek stilled, suddenly, and walked inside. "Well, no. I haven't. Now, out of rather blatant curiosity, why are you asking me that?"

"Well, you aren't answering my questions, so I'm not answering yours." She crossed her arms, and turned slightly away from him.

All the sudden he was behind her, wrapping his arms around her in a strange imitation of a lovers embrace. She felt his breath at her ear, again, and she struggled to get free.

"Shh. Now, I have some bad news for you, and some good news. Which would you like first?"

Chloe tried once more to get free, but his arms were like bands of steel, and her kicks were missing. She didn't understand how that was possible, but it was and there was no getting around it.

"Fine, give me the bad news first."

"Well, always the masochist, aren't you? The bad news is that you might die if you don't tell me why you asked me that question. The good news is you have me to protect you, now."

"You stupid pig! I don't need your stupid protection!"

"Why not?"

"There is nothing threatening me!."

He finally backed off, and she stood there fuming for a couple of seconds. "Now," she said in a tight voice, "do you have any other words of wisdom, or are you done?"

"I'm done. I was hoping to meet your father."

That got a snort out of her. "Yeah? What the hell would you say to him? 'Yeah, hi, I'm Derek, and in my spare time I hang out with a local gang so that I can stalk people without them knowing. Oh, yeah, and I also like to stalk your daughter.' Yes, that will go over _so_ well with him."

"Very funny. No, it would go something like this, 'Why hello! I'm Chloe's new math tutor, and it's very nice to meet you. I look forward to teaching your daughter better math skills.' How was that?"

"Way too formal. Besides, I don't even know when he's going to be home."

Just then, the garage door slammed open. "Chloe! Help me unload the car!"

She rubbed her forehead. "Speak of the devil. Coming dad!" she yelled.

* * *

><p>AN: Was it goooood? Did you looooove it?

If so, leave your lovin' in the review section~!

~Sammi D':


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